How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms? 02/24/08

Jane Yolen and Mark Teague have collaborated on a number of these How Do Dinosaurs... books. They have the longer format books and some board books. How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms? is a board book. It is half the length of the longer books, How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?, for example.

Jane Yolen's humor works perfectly with Mark Teague's illustrations. These books remind me a bit of the old pamphlets and propaganda that came out of the WPA. Imagine an old school reel of "How to Clean Your Room!" but with dinosaurs. That strange disconnect of dinosaurs with a 1930s style how-to book is what makes these series so charming for both children and adults.

My only complaint about How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms? is that the rhyming scheme isn't as smooth as it was in How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? The final page especially seems to have the wrong number of syllables which brings an otherwise fun book to a clunky ending.

Comments (2)

Comment #1: Saturday, March, 1, 2008 at 11:25:25

Girl Detective

I followed you here from Semicolon. I agree that the rhymes are clunky--I think the illustrations are the thing with these books. I often want to edit as I read."

Comment #2: Saturday, March, 1, 2008 at 11:08:22

pussreboots

I like the humor too of the books but I sometimes think they'd be better as prose and poetry. Regarless of the clunky meter, they are still among my children's favorite books. "